How to Stream on Instagram by Sharing Live Videos

Last Updated: March 3, 2018 - 4:00 EST

Using Instagram is a fantastic way to stay connected with your friends and family members, as well as make new connections with people who share interests with you. If you’ve used the app before, you’re probably familiar with their system to share pictures and videos on Instagram. However, Instagram has also made it possible to do live video streams through the app as well!

If you’re interested in learning about how to start streaming video for Instagram, this is the tutorial for you! We’ll be covering all the bases in this article, including:

To begin, we’re going to answer your most pressing questions: what is an Instagram live stream and how does live streaming work? If you need a refresher on how Instagram works, check out some of the free tutorials in our Instagram course.

What Instagram live is and how live streams work

Instagram live streams are a way to share a look into your life or have a chat with your followers. Your followers can watch your stream and post comments. You can even go live with a friend if you want to share your stream. Share your live stream to your story so your friends can watch it later.

Instagram live streams work by using your device’s camera to show yourself or your surroundings. Your friends will be notified of your stream, so you aren’t talking to yourself. Your profile image will show at the top of your followers’ feeds with a “live” label that they can tap to view your stream.

Sounds pretty cool, right? So, how do you share a video on Instagram live?

How to stream live video on Instagram

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device or tablet.

On your device’s home screen, tap the Instagram icon to launch the app on your device.

2. Log in to your Instagram account.

Now that you have the app open, enter your email address, phone number, or username and your password to sign in to your account.

3. Tap the camera icon in the top left corner.

Once you’ve logged in, tap on the camera button at the top left of your screen to access your device’s camera from within the Instagram app.

4. At the bottom of your screen, tap Live.

With the camera window open, tap the Live button at the bottom of the window.

5. Tap Start Live Video to begin streaming.

When you’re ready to start your stream, tap the Start Live Video button near the bottom of your screen.

6. Enjoy live streaming with your friends!

Now you can enjoy your stream! Chat about whatever you like, update your friends on what’s going on in your life, or answer any questions you might from your followers in the comments.

7. When you’re finished, tap End.

When you’re done chatting to your live Instagram video viewers, finish your live stream by tapping End at the top right corner.

Now that we’ve taught you how to share a video on Instagram live, we have a few helpful tips to make your streaming experience the best it can be! Check out our tips below to find out how to use Instagram’s awesome additional features for improving your live streams.

5 helpful tips for Instagram streaming like a pro

1. Switch your account over to private mode before you start streaming so only your friends can watch your live video stream.

If you don’t want strangers watching your live stream on Instagram, simply make your account private before you begin. This will make it so only people who already follow you will be able to view your stream.

To make your Instagram account private, open your profile, then tap the settings icon.

Scroll down until you see “Private Account,” then tap the slider beside it to make your account private.

If you want to make your account public again after your live stream is done, simply go back to your Instagram settings and disable the privacy feature.

2. Turn off the comment section.

If you don’t want to hear what anyone has to say during your live stream, you can disable the ability for viewers to leave you comments. To access this option, tap the dots at the bottom of your screen.

Then, tap Turn Off Commenting so nobody can comment during your stream anymore.

3. Go live with one of your friends!

A cool new feature for Instagram live is the ability to go live with one of your friends. This is kind of like being able to video chat with your friend while also broadcasting live to your followers. First, let your friend know that you’re going to go live and that you’d like to invite them to join. They have to be watching your stream in order to be invited to join the broadcast. Start streaming, then tap the invite icon.

Then, tap the name of the person you’d like to invite.

When your friend accepts, you will be able to see them on half of your screen. If you want to remove them from the broadcast at any time, tap the X button at the top right corner of the window they appear in.

4. Save your live stream to your Instagram story so anyone who missed it can watch it up to 24 hours later.

Maybe not all of your friends were available to view your live stream at the time when you were broadcasting. If you want to let your friends who were busy be able to enjoy your stream when they have the time, you can share the live Instagram to video posts on your Instagram story. Your Insta video stream will be available for your followers to watch for the 24-hour period following your stream.

To save an Instagram live to your story, finish up your stream by tapping End. Then, tap Share towards the bottom of your screen to post it to your story.

That’s all you need to know about going live on Instagram. Find out about other awesome social networking sites like Instagram in our social networks and media section.